AUSTRALIAN CUSTOM FORDS & CHRYSLERS

WHILE Holden was the maker of choice for many budding Australian customisers of the 1960s and early 70s, Ford and Chrysler products from the preceding decades were also popular and cheaply available once they had a few years under their belts.

- SIMON MAJOR

A number of builds from the Aussie delivered Ford and Mopar stables left an indelible mark on our show scene and captured the hearts of many, so for our final Snap Shots instalment on custom builds of this era, we remember a few icons that flew the flag for the Blue Oval and the Pentastar.

1: SURE, all hot rods are basically ‘custom’ by default, but it isn’t overly common to see pre-’48 models treated to body mods like headlight, grille and tail-light changes. George Clark was one builder who opted for touches more commonly applied to post-’48 builds, and his 1939 Plymouth Coupe was pioneering in many ways. These three-window coupes were an Australian-build-only TJ Richards & Sons bodyshell, so they were already a rare car when George commenced the build in 1957. He added slightly canted International truck headlights along with a custom grille and taillights, while the original flathead six-cylinder was extensively modified and fitted with a ‘six-pack’ triple two-barrel carburettor set-up that George developed in 1960. Virtually every part that could be unbolted was chromed, including the brake drums and leaf springs, and the Plymouth’s original Tangerine paintjob was later replaced with a purple metal-flake respray by George’s brother, Alick; it’s rumoured to be one of Australia’s first ’flake-painted hot rods. George and the ’39 were no slouches at the strip either, and this drag racing connection offers a clue to the car’s fate: it was this very ’39 that was later purchased and rebuilt into an iconic black pro streeter by the late, great Mario Colalillo.